UK Youth Unemployment Surges, Concerns Grow

0:00You're listening to UK News today, powered by the Daily News Now, and brought to you by NordVPN, fast, reliable online privacy. Links in the episode description, the number of 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK, not in work, education, or training, has climbed to 957,000. That's up 11,000 from the previous quarter, according to the Office for National Statistics, pushing the share of this age group to 12. 0.8%. The increase came mostly from young women, with their numbers rising 13,000, while young men saw a drop of 2,000. Overall, unemployment in this group, ticked up as more saw jobs, though economic inactivity dips slightly to 547,000. Society is starting to feel the strain, with parents and grandparents worried that young people face dimmer prospects and jobs, and homeownership then, past generations. Former Health Secretary Alan Milburn highlighted this shift, saying the long-held belief in upward mobility is now at risk.

1:02Economists point to government moves like higher employer national insurance rates, and equalizing minimum wages across ages as factors behind them. 11-year high youth joblessness. Groups like the Resolution Foundation, want to pause on wage changes, and broader job placement guarantees up to age 24. As a government review on youth inactivity wraps up this summer, calls grow to act fast before these patterns harden into bigger problems.